Munich - while the mood is a bit subdued, attendance is good and there is more hope than worry in the air. Much of the emphasis this year is on 'green', and not just eliminating lead. Ultra-low-power radio technologies are everywhere; some are even 'zero-power'. EnOcean, for example, has developed energy-harvesting technologies and combined them with sensors and radios. Of course, it's not truly zero-power, but the point is that it harvests the energy it needs, rather than requiring a battery.
This may spell the end of Grenley's Law #2: every wireless devices you own adds two wires to your desktop.
In other news - literally - the amount of press coverage and news in English has increased noticeably. It's rare now to see a vendor who doesn't have English product information; and the press are putting out English show dailies. E&E to Go was a leader in this, but now Markt&Technik, who publish the best-read daily, have added English as well. (Way to go, H, and nice work, D!)
US companies should consider carefully whether to attend, and to exhibit, at Electronica. For IC, passives, and the rest of 'real electronics' it has clearly emerged as a world show, and the world leader. Half of attendees are non-German.
All for now - time to hit the road for day 2!